Saturday, December 20, 2014

Finger-Tip Drag:
Swim regular freestyle. When your arm is out of the water (recovery phase) keep
your elbow pointed toward the sky and your fingertips pointing down toward the
water. Allow your fingertips (about 1/2 inch) to drag through the water from
your hips all the way past your head.

Catch-Up:
Swim regular freestyle. As you take a stroke with your right arm, keep your
left arm extended forward in the water. Complete the stroke with your right arm
and after it enters the water above your head, tap your left hand. This signals
the start of the stroke with your left arm. Keep your right arm extended
forward in the water until the left stroke is completed and hands tap together.

Catch-Up w/Board or Stick or Single Paddle:
Use a sideways kick-board or a stick to perform the drill above. Keep your
hands shoulder-width apart and exchange the board or stick from hand-to-hand
between each stroke.

Shark Drill:
Use a pull buoy or a kick board between your thighs. After the finish of each
stroke, reach back and tap the part of the buoy that is above water. This drill
emphasizes finishing your stroke all the way to mid-thigh.

Sailboat Drill:
Hold a kick board between your thighs. Make sure 1/2 of the board is sticking
below your body when you swim freestyle. Use your core muscles to control your
hip rotation (while the board tries to prevent rotation).

Fist Drill:
Swim regular freestyle. Ball your hands into fists and work on high elbow catch
and pull under the water.

6-kick-switch:
When you push off the wall, take one underwater pull with your right arm and
pause (right arm against your side, left arm extended overhead) for 6 kicks.
After six kicks, complete the stroke with your right arm, tap your left hand,
and repeat with your left arm.

3-6-3:
Take three strokes and pause on your right side with right arm extended forward
and your left arm lying on left side. Remain in this position for six kicks.
Take three more strokes and pause on your left side for six kicks. Repeat.

Single-Arm Drill:
For learning the correct pulling motion. Grasp a small kickboard in your left
hand and extend your left arm above your head. Swim a lap of the pool with just
right arm strokes. This will allow you to focus on a perfect underwater pull
with your right arm. Switch arms and swim another lap.

Thumb-Drag Drill:
Swim a lap of freestyle while you drag your thumb along the side of your leg as
you lift your arm out of the water. At the beginning, you might feel your thumb
drag along your rib cage, waist, or hip. This means you are not finishing to
the middle of your thigh. You have a complete finish when you feel your thumb
dragging along the side of your leg.

Tarzan Drill:
Swim freestyle with your head out of the water. Look forward as if you were
sighting a buoy or landmark in open water. Keep your head out of the water for
the entire 25 to strengthen your neck muscles for triathlon swimming!

Underwater Recovery Drill:
Swim freestyle but do not let your arms exit the water at the end of the
underwater pull. As your hand reaches your thigh, bend your elbow and slide
your hand forward along the side of your body. This is very similar to
doggy-paddle but with an entire underwater stroke. Keep your head in the water
and breathe to the side like normal.

Reverse Catch-up Drill:
Push off the wall with both hands on your thighs. Take a complete stroke with
your right arm, when it completes the rotation and touches your thigh, that is
the signal to start the next stroke with your left arm. Continue alternating
arms, with the non-stroking hand resting against your thigh.

This 5,850-yard swim set (all 75s) but you can adapt it with a warmup/cool down and one set of each instead of building them together. Carve out a good chunk of pool time and prepare to create a deficit for all those cookies you’re about to eat.

Here’s how it works: Each “day” is one 75, broken up in a different way. You’ll swim day 1. Then you’ll swim day 2, day 1. Then day 3, day 2, day 1. The idea is to keep adding on to the set and work your way back to number one. Choose a comfortable interval that will give you about 10 seconds rest every 75.

Sung (at least somewhat) to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a 75 free!
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, one free-drill-free and a 75 free!
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, one hypoxic 3/5/3, one free-drill-free and a 75 free!

Tarzan Drill:
Swim freestyle with your head out of the water. Look forward as if you were sighting a buoy or landmark in open water. Keep your head out of the water for the entire 25 to strengthen your neck muscles for triathlon swimming!
Fist Drill:
Swim regular freestyle. Ball your hands into fists and work on high elbow catch and pull under the water.
Finger-Tip Drag:
Swim regular freestyle. When your arm is out of the water (recovery phase) keep your elbow pointed toward the sky and your fingertips pointing down toward the water. Allow your fingertips (about 1/2 inch) to drag through the water from your hips all the way past your head.
3-6-3:
Take three strokes and pause on your right side with right arm extended forward and your left arm lying on left side. Remain in this position for six kicks. Take three more strokes and pause on your left side for six kicks. Repeat.
Shark:
Use a pull buoy or a kick board between your thighs. After the finish of each stroke, reach back and tap the part of the buoy that is above water. This drill emphasizes finishing your stroke all the way to mid-thigh.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

A benchmark is a point of reference to be used to monitor gains in fitness. There are several versions in swimming but one tried and true version is the mile. Short rest intervals are used to test this distance while maintaining quality and form.

Warm up easy 200-500

Start your watch at the beginning of the set. Rest :10 seconds after each interval. Stop the watch at the end and subtract the total rest (1:40) to determine your 1-mile time.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Many of us are ready for a break in the off-season but, no one wants to lose the valuable fitness they have achieved throughout the year. Below are workouts for the time-strapped athlete. These are short workouts meant to maintain fitness through short bursts of speed.Swim, 1900
Warm up-
200 Swim
100 Pull + buoy
100 Kick (3 strokes/3 kicks/3 strokes)

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

I've been spending the last couple of days building training plans for others while building my own too. When you look at the big picture, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the minutiae.

In addition to helping athletes identify goals, a coach will provide the tools, perspective, and structure needed to accomplish more through a process of accountability. A coach can create a point of focus for athletes to reflect upon and build up their accomplishments. Coaching is a consistent, on-going relationship where the coach helps to implement new skills and supports the athlete in discovering solutions on their own through preparation. A coach remains objective while maintaining trust and honesty.

I recently reached out to a personal trainer to help me push beyond the limits that I have imposed. She is working to motivate me to challenge my limits with strength and flexibility while working on corrective movements that will improve my posture while running and cycling.

I encourage you to look inward to your goals as an athlete. Have you been stagnate in your training? Do you lack motivation and commitment? Have you created goals that take you out of your comfort zone?

Creating a synergy between coach and athlete will create momentum. The momentum will create a challenge that will become change. The change will result in the achievement of goals.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

There are many coaches available to triathletes and many people that think they have the best coach. Before researching a specific coach, you should determine your wants/needs from the coach by asking the following questions.

Do you want someone that has a track record as a podium finisher? Ironman finisher?

Do you want race support? Team tent? Coach present?

Do you want to be a part of group workouts?

Do you want to be identified as part of a group? Team kit?

What kind of personality do you want from a coach? Motivator? Blunt? Strict?

For roughly the same price, an athlete can find a coach who will write a personalized training plan for the athlete, one who will provide a generic training plan, and someone in between. The key is finding out what you will get beforehand and making sure you are comfortable with the level of coaching you will receive. Here are some questions that I would ask of any coach before beginning to work together:

What certifications do you hold?

How many athletes do you coach? Full or part time?

How do you approach setting up training for an athlete? Annual training plans? Recovery vs build periods?

Sunday, November 9, 2014

I was scheduled for an 8 mile run this week. Rather than "just" run at a conversational pace, I added a few scheduled fartlek intervals.

2 miles at Zone 2

.5 mile at Zone 3-4 (threshold/VO2)

2 miles at Zone 2

.5 mile at Zone 3-4 (threshold/VO2)

2 miles at Zone 2-3

1 mile at Zone 4-5 (max effort)

A workout like the one above is created to build confidence, increase your threshold, and focus on effort. As athletes, we need to learn to monitor our energy levels to accurately pace for performance.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

I have a LOVE of Tabata intervals for strength/cardio training. The theory is that you will have 8-cycles of 20 seconds work : 10 seconds recovery followed by 30 seconds before the next 8-rounds. There are so many variations that will keep your heart rate up, keep the monotony down, and build strength and endurance!

This week, my Tabata intervals were mixed into an indoor cycling class. Equipment needed includes a bike, exercise band, and gliding disc (or paper plate on carpet). Total time, :70 minutes

Hills for 5:30 building climbing endurance at ~66rpm with two identical climbs of :75 seconds. then mixing up the terrain for 5 minutes. Four sets of Tabata intervals using speed accelerations followed by 2 rounds consisting of a :30 second climb and sprint down the back for :30 seconds.

Off the bike for alternating rounds.

Odd= Bridge position tricep dips. Even= Seated back row using the band.

Bike.

Intervals x4 for 6 minutes, 2 at :20 seconds, 2 at :50 seconds. Add resistance and drop cadence to ~80rpm, making sure that recovery is about :45-60seconds between sets. Speed work building endurance with identical sets of 2x:75 second efforts followed by ~2 minutes recovery lasting about 6 minutes.

Off the bike for alternating rounds.

Odd= Reverse lunge with the back foot on the disc (alt R/L). Even= Use band to step out/in with constant tension to engage the abductors and adductors.

Bike.

Mountain climb x4 strength efforts at :75-120 seconds with short :20 second recoveries at ~72rpm.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

I workout in Houston where the weather can be unpredictable. Most times, it's pool time that gets the short end of the stick. Be it a thunderstorm or just some kid that dropped a deuce! For me, it happens when a group workout becomes a individual workout due to low turnout. I like to be able to participate in order to elevate the performance of my athletes.

The goal is to have a back-up plan. Many of us have a traveling locker room in our trunks, make sure to have a spare swimsuit and sneakers in case your workout plans change.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

As we enter the off season, make sure you have a plan in place that will make you a stronger triathlete next season. Start with these three tips, 1)Recover, 2)Try something new, and 3)Build up your weaknesses.

Recover. Give yourself permission to take a mental and physical break. Don't stress over missed workouts, mend relationships that have suffered the wrath of your schedule, and let all those minor aches subside. Take 3-4 weeks but stay active.

Try something new. The objective is to maintain a base level of fitness and endurance while trying something new, ie. tennis, group exercise, pilates, or yoga. As an added bonus, add some strength training to the mix to build a a body that will be stronger and more resistant to injury. Focus on multi-movement/joint/muscle movements that build triathlon specific strength.

Build you weaknesses. You don't have to spend all your time on one sport. This is the opportunity for a lesson, increased frequency of activity, or practice drills to improve technique. Don't forget, road races are a chance to add some intensity to your program.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

No two athletes are alike, sharing the same goals and training needs. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, which a personalized training plan will address.

A coach is able to create a training plan that is optimal for performance, motivation, and prevention of injury. Coaches are able to manage change to help their athlete prepare for their race. A great coach can evaluate your current fitness and develop a plan that will allow you to achieve your goals.

Most triathletes have busy lifestyles. Coaches will be able to provide the athlete with adjustments to their plan when life gets in the way. A coach is able to see factors that indicate appropriate progression, recovery, and adaptation that will lead to performance gains on race day.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Many may ask, why should I have a coach if I'm training with a group already?

Group workouts generally focus on fitness, not necessarily training for an event. They are structured to build a social network of like-minded individuals. Many are led by certified coaches that have the knowledge to improve technique through drills and observation. These workouts are motivational because of the peer pressure of meeting a group and the support from others to hold the pace.

Personal coaching is an opportunity for one-on-one attention. A coach will personalize a plan for a specific goal and make adjustments to achieve results. Individualized attention is given to athletes to improve performance and negate injury through adequate recovery and adaptation. Coaches provide motivation through development of mental skills and constant feedback.

About Me

I am a wife, mother of 2 boys, stay at home mom, group fitness instructor, and preschool teacher. I also coach triathletes and work as a personal trainer...BUT I still consider myself a stay at home mom!